What I Did on My Weekend, by jTuba

Photo by Pirate Jenny

This year's Folly Day wasn't just fun and exciting, it was educational too! Here are a few things I learned:

1. If you are a brass band and, having just sonically assaulted another brass band, you want to retreat quickly, you should still turn around slowly and carefully before actually running away so as to avoid nasty lip injuries among your brass-playing membership.

2. The NYPD seems to think that there's something unlawful about more than one person playing music at a time without a permit.

3. Point 2 is total bullshit; according to the Rules & Regulations of the City of New York Parks & Recreation, section 1-05(d), the sound prohibitions within NYC parks are against (1) "unreasonable noise," (2) use of "sound reproduction devices" (meaning radios & other amplification) without a permit, (3) playing instruments between 10p-8a, and (4) playing music for the purpose of commercial advertisement without a permit.

4. People in brass bands are reluctant to give themselves up when other bands try to borrow them by force. Should've seen that coming, I suppose.

5. The wonderful Jessica Lurie sometimes jogs through Prospect Park on Sundays.

It should also be noted that, though aggressively courted, Disaster remained aloof throughout the day: the rain held off, no one was actually summonsed, the Top Secret Attack Band managed to attack all of the other bands in succession, sending them scurrying away in mortal terror, and, oh yeah, the RMO got their aforementioned big gay bus (which is not to say that they don't still need some loot). The RMO, by the way, gets props for having the foresight to use a couple of their dancers as "jogger"-spies. You people are too clever for your own good, I tell you.

Emperor Norton's Stationary Marching Band also deserves a special nod just for making it all the freakin' way down here from Boston (well, Somerville, really - which is where the cool's at in the Boston area).

HMB gets its kudos for knowing how to play dumb with the 5-0 and for, can we say, dressing holy-crap fabulously? Dayamn, that man has some wardrobe!

The good people of Grub deserve your respect just for existing. To wit:



Unfortunately, photos are not as plentiful this year as last because some of our favorite photographers were otherwise preoccupied. We'll have to do this again, maybe.